Yoga For The Beginner: The Starter Guide by Andrew Z. Maitland

Author:Andrew Z. Maitland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Speedy Publishing LLC
Published: 2014-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5- Yoga- The Importance of Breathing Correctly

Breathing may be the most important part of yoga. The clothes, mats, background music and positions do not matter if you are uncomfortable and restricted with each breathe. A unity of mind and body will not occur if your body is distracted by the need for more oxygen.

Breathing is essential for life. Breathing is the most basic way we interact with our environment. We take in necessary gases for our functions, and expel necessary gases for other living things. Respiration occurs in all life forms from unicellular protists to plants and animals like us. A human can fast for days, weeks or even months with discipline. Currently, the world record for a human holding their breath the longest is 22 minutes.

Breathing properly has an effect on your mind as well as your body. Fast, shallow breaths make a person aware of the small things and quick distractions. This breathing is done during strenuous workouts and when under stress. Slow deep breaths are used for sleeping and relaxation. This allows your brain to receive the most oxygen and higher brain functions like dreaming or imagining can become easier. Most people breathe slow shallow breaths for ordinary activities like talking or reading.

When humans breathe we develop a habit of breathing with only our chest rising and falling. This leads to highly developed upper lung function at the expense of use of the rest of the lungs. This is inefficient as more air can be absorbed and exchanged in the lower lobes of the lungs. The average human lungs have five lobes and three of them are located in the bottom half of their respective lung.

There are several types of breathing and each has a different purpose outside common respiration. The most common technique for deep relaxing breaths is abdominal breathing.

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